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LAFAYETTE – Two more confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported for Tippecanoe County, bringing the total to 38 in the past three weeks, according to numbers the Indiana State Health Department released Wednesday morning.

Statewide, the death toll passed 200, with 203 Hoosiers dying from coronavirus-related illnesses.

The number of cases increased by 436, up nearly 8 percent from the previous day. According to state figures, 5,943 Hoosiers had confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Tippecanoe County’s rate of 2 cases per 10,000 people trails the state rate of 8.8 cases per 10,000, as of Wednesday.

Here were the numbers for Tippecanoe County’s direct neighbors, according to Wednesday’s report.

Items donated from Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette(Photo: provided by Ivy Tech)

Ivy Tech Community College Lafayette’s schools of Health Sciences and Nursing have donated respiratory therapy equipment and personal protective equipment to IU Health Arnett hospital and to the Tippecanoe County Health Depar to help with equipment shortages that hospitals nationwide are facing due to coronavirus.

Five ventilators, two multi-function units that can be used as ventilators and a high flow oxygen device were donated to IU Health Arnett from Ivy Tech, as well as a truckload of personal protective equipment including masks, gowns, gloves and other items.

The ventilators and equipment donated to IU Health Arnett were used at Ivy Tech for educational purposes, Jolene Miller, dean of the School of Health Sciences said, and will be returned after the pandemic has ended and they are no longer needed.

“The more important thing is that the equipment is in the hands of the professionals that need it, including a lot of our graduates,” Miller said. “We want it out there for the greater good of the community, not sitting in a lab in case we need to use it to teach. Now is not the time for those kinds of concerns to be voiced.”

Monday, Ivy Tech also donated more personal protective equipment to the Tippecanoe County Health Department, according to a release from the community college.

Sandy Fights, dean of the School of Nursing, said they cleaned out their supplies and choose to donate to the Health Department because they could redistribute directly to the community or people in need, rather then Ivy Tech having to make that decision themselves.

“It’s the right thing to do in order to protect our public,” Fights said.

Emily DeLetter

Lafayette Aviators go to bat for local restaurants: Buy gift cards, get tickets

The Lafayette Aviators, the community’s Prospect League baseball team, are pitching a promotion to help Greater Lafayette restaurants as they deal with being closed during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s restrictions on table service during the coronavirus emergency.

Customers who buy gift cards worth $25 or more directly from a Greater Lafayette restaurant will be able to get two tickets to 2020 Aviators game of their choice, Ray Carolin, Aviators general manager, said Wednesday.

Coronavirus(Photo: Andrea Brunty)

Here’s how it works: All gift cards must be purchased directly from participating restaurants, either directly from the restaurant or via its website. Customers get may send a copy of their gift card purchase receipt to the Aviators, either online at www.lafayettebaseball.com or by mail, along with their contact information to the Aviators Lafayette office: 3318 South St., Lafayette, IN 47904.

Participants will get two electronic tickets that can be downloaded for admission to a game once the Aviators start their season at Purdue’s Alexander Field. The Aviators season is scheduled to start June 4.

MetroNet sets up free WiFi hotspot for emergency use

MetroNet, an Evansville-based telecommunication company with service in Lafayette, set up unrestricted WiFi hot spots in its markets, including Lafayette and Crawfordsville, for students and others looking for short-term use.

The service will be open 24 hours a day, available to anyone, including non-MetroNet customers, by parking near one of the company’s storefronts.

► In Lafayette: 414 N. Earl Ave.

► In Crawfordsville: 2400 Lafayette Road.

For access, join the MetroNetFree network once they are parked near the storefront. The password is MetroNet.

Dave Bangert

Franciscan Health hospital tighten visitor restrictions even more

Visitor restrictions already in place at Franciscan Health Lafayette East, and enforced by huge traffic signs near the Creasy Lane entrances, were tightened again Wednesday.

“We’re just trying to be as clear as we can that we really can’t have people in here, as much as possible,” said Lisa Decker, a spokeswoman for Franciscan Health hospitals in Lafayette, Crawfordsville and Rensselaer.

The hospital on Wednesday suspended all visitation, except in the following cases:

► A laboring woman will be allowed one visitor, a spouse or partner during labor and delivery. A labor coach also will be allowed.

► A mother who is providing breastmilk to a NICU infant will be allowed to remain in the facility for the duration of the NICU stay for that purpose.

► For an Emergency Room patient, one visitor will be allowed only for patients that do not have actual or legal decisional capacity. Those include patients under 18, patients with dementia and persons whose condition precludes obtaining an accurate history or decision making.

► For surgical patients no visitors will be allowed except for patients that do not have actual or legal decisional capacity, who may have one visitor. Those include persons under 18, persons with dementia and persons whose condition precludes obtaining an accurate history or decision making.

► In non-COVID end-of-life situations a spouse, child or parent will be allowed to visit. One visitor will be allowed for the duration. A second visitor will be allowed on a rotating basis with no more than two visitors at a time. Visitors will be escorted into the room and out of the hospital.

► In COVID end-of-life situations one visitor will be allowed to visit. The visitor must wear full PPE while in attendance.